Report Bangkok’s moto punks for an easy 3,000-baht bounty

If there’s one thing all segments of society except for teen moto racers can agree upon, it’s that teen moto racers are annoying.

To further rein in this need for speed, the police this week are offering yet another bounty for the public to snitch on each other for: THB3,000 (US$100) for anonymous tips about speeding motorcyclists. It’s probably safe to assume that older scofflaws can also be reported, as bad behavior on two-wheels transcends class and socio-economic divisions.

Since Tuesday, people can report speed racers to the Royal Thai Police via hotline 1599 or the 191 emergency number – though the latter seems like a bad idea because, really, there are more pressing emergencies. Tipsters are encouraged to submit videos, photos or other evidence of a crime.

If your tip leads to an arrest on a relevant traffic offense including disturbing the peace, unsafe riding or illegal racing; the tipster will get the reward within 10 days. This is probably best done in Thai.

The cops say all tips will be treated confidentially. Should taxpayers be footing the bill? Not to worry, the bounties will come from an initial pool of THB500,000 contributed by “the private sector.” If successful, someone will need to top that up soon, as it only translates to enough money for 166 bounties.

It’s not the first time members of the public have been asked to police each other. Since 2017, a bounty program has offered half of the fines assessed of litterbugs, people riding on sidewalks and illegal vendors.

Krungsri created this anti-dek waen PSA a few years back. It’s pretty tacky itself.